Devolution
by medicgirl
Summary: A LDSK attacks a small town ambulance service, but the most obvious answer isn't always the right one
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Criminal Minds. You didn't honestly think I did, did you?

Author's note: This is my first CM fic in a long time, and I may be a bit rusty with the characters. Also, my friends might recognize parts of this story... As I have said numerous times, fiction is my way of working out my issues. This is for my crew, the people who stood by me, and the family that couldn't mean more to me if they were mine by blood. And maybe I do write a fair amount of EMS related stories, but as Stephen King once said "Write what you know. You don't have to lie as much..." I can't guarantee how regular the updates may be, but I will do my best. And I will update faster the more reviews I get. So please let me know what you think, or any input you may have... Enjoy!

She adjusted the collar of her uniform shirt after unhooking her seatbelt, then got out of her truck. She was already a few minutes late, but she wasn't overly concerned. It wasn't like the boss was going to say anything. This ambulance service was so much more lax than most counties. Running her fingers through her long blond hair once more in an attempt to smooth it down, she grabbed her purse and headed for the building that she had worked at for the last 9 years. There was no indication that today was going to be any different than every other work day in those nine years.

And she never realized that it would be. By the time the gunshot rang out, the bullet was through her forehead. Before the first of her coworkers had run outside, she was dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what we have is a small town in Tennessee with a possible LDSK," Jennifer Jareau, dropping a file in front of each member of her team.

"A sniper?" Spencer Reid asked, glancing through the file. "An employee and the director of the local ambulance service…"

"Anna McDowell was shot in the head three days ago in the ambulance service parking lot, and David Bowers yesterday." JJ added

"Attacks against medical personnel like this would most likely indicate some kind of… dissatisfaction… with the care provided." Reid was carefully studying the aerial photos of the ambulance service, carefully noting where the bodies had fallen and tried to figure out a trajectory.

"Disgruntled patient or angry family member?" asked Derek Morgan.

"There are three pending lawsuits against the service, no one involved would have the skill to commit this act. The only ones involved directly are a man paralyzed from the neck down following a car wreck and a 52 year old truck driver who's mother died of a heart attack. He has no military background and has been thoroughly investigated."

Reid suddenly spoke up. "These shots came from two different locations." The team all pulled out their copies of the picture he was looking at. "The office door where David was shot is on the opposite side of the building from the parking lot where Anna was shot."

"So he was specifically targeting office personnel at one time and crew at another?" Rossi asked. That didn't seem right…

Aaron Hotchner nodded. "Okay. Wheels up in thirty."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were met at the Greenville airstrip by a city police officer who introduced himself as James. He shook Hotch's hand vigorously. "Welcome to Greenville! Man, am I glad you guys are here! This has been such a mess, and…" He trailed off, and his face twisted slightly. "Anna used to babysit my kids when they were younger. And David…"

"Yes?" prompted Hotch. "What about him?"

James looked away, obviously pained. "He's –was- married to the chief's baby sister. She's six months pregnant. She had to be hospitalized."

At the police station, they were met with total chaos. Six uniformed officers and four state troopers were trying to deal with at least fifty people from the town, all demanding answers. Which, of course, the officers had none. James led the team through the crowd, which was a difficult thing in itself, and into the back room, where he closed the door and gestured for the table. "Have a seat. I'll go try to extricate the chief."

With that, he was gone, and Morgan took a deep breath. "Wow… this is a circus."

JJ nodded. "Yeah, small towns like this don't have the resources or manpower to deal with a situation like this. Especially when one victim is the chief of police's brother-in-law."

"That's what we're for," Rossi commented, looking at a county road map hanging on the wall.

The door opened, and a man in his late thirties with short brown hair. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but it's a mess out there," he said. "I'm Adam Sanderson, chief of police here in Greenville." He offered his hand to Hotch, who rose from his seat to take it.

"I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, this is SSA Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss, Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid."

Rossi stepped forward and offered his hand. "I'm very sorry about your brother-in-law. Is your sister doing okay?"

The chief set his jaw against the emotion threatening to emerge. "Thank you. No, she's not doing well. She was already on bed rest, and the stress of this has put the baby in even more danger." There was nothing anyone on the team could say to that, and a moment of silence followed before the chief spoke again. "So, anyway, you guys are here to help us catch the bastard who did this. What do you need?"


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2. I saw that a lot of people are actually reading this, just no one is reviewing so I decided to go ahead and post this. Please review. Please?

Morgan, Rossi, and Reid carefully approached the empty ambulance service building with James behind them. All crews had evacuated the building after the second shooting, although they couldn't exactly count on stealth to protect them. Wherever they went, they had three big white and orange vehicles to deal with. But when everyone seemed to be calling in sick to work, something had to be done.

The building was shut and locked up tight, but it was the parking lot and the front of the office that interested the four of them. Morgan stepped out into the open first, and after a tense moment of waiting for a shot to ring out, the rest followed him to the bloody spot on the concrete closest to them. "This is where the first victim died," He said.

Reid studied the area carefully. "It seems like the roof of that building over there would be the most likely place for the shooter. He held up a picture of the way the body had fallen, and mentally calculated all the angles. "Yeah, that has to be where he was."

Rossi turned to James. "Have your men searched there?"

The cop nodded. "Yep. We weren't sure of the angle so we checked every roof within rifle range. Found nothing."

"Could you show me how to get up there?" he asked, then turned to Morgan and Reid. "You guys finish here, I'll go check it out."

Morgan nodded, Reid was still engrossed in the scene. Morgan noticed, and turned back to him. "What is it, kid? You got something?"

Reid looked at the building, then back at the parking lot. "It says she was shot at 8:12 a.m.. What time is shift change?"

"Straight up eight," James stated. "But Anna tended to be late. David never said anything about it, since she was never more than half an hour late. She and her partner were the 24 hour crew, so they were the second crew out."

Morgan looked up at him sharply. "So it wasn't unusual for her to be running late?"

James nodded. "I just said that."

Looking at Reid, Morgan said "What's the chance that the guy got there in the last minute after shift change and she was the first one to walk by?"

Reid shook his head. "No way. This guy's too organized." To James, he said "Your people didn't find anything on the roof? No footprints, no shell casings?" James managed to look insulted, so Reid went on. "To clean up everything like that, but then to be late getting here or not know when the shifts changed? No way."

Morgan nodded. "So the rest of the crew walked right past his line of sight and were fine. He was specifically targeting her this time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Hotch, Prentiss, and JJ asked to visit the new ambulance service headquarters, they weren't expecting the county sheriff's SUV to pull up at the Holiday Inn. Three Ison County ambulances sat in the back lot; while not exactly hidden, they were at least sheltered from main view. The sheriff, a young blond-headed man named Eric, led them to a side door, which he unlocked with a card key. "Hotel security… kinda what these guys need right now. Something to at least make them feel like they don't have targets on their back."

Eric led them to the end of the hall where two adjoining rooms had Do Not Disturb signs on the doors. He knocked twice, then used the key card to unlock the door. "Hey, guys," He said, walking in. "This is agents Hotchner, Prentiss, and Jareau from the FBI. They're here to get to the bottom of things."

Hotch followed Eric inside, taking in the scene. Two women were sitting on one of the beds, watching TV, one man was sitting in the floor leaned against the wall. He had been listening to an iPod until the knock on the door startled him. Two men sat on the small couch, one reading a book, the other had obviously been dozing off. Another man sat at a desk working on a laptop. They all silently stared up at the agents, the near-identical expressions on their faces obvious to all. They were terrified.

The man at the desk stood up and offered the agents his hand. "Hi, I'm Zack Miller. We're…uh… glad you're here." The relief in his voice was evident. "What can we do to help?"

The second room was for female EMTs and medics or for ones there weren't enough sleeping spots for in one room, but at the moment they all preferred to stay together. Prentiss stayed in the first room, observing body language and their interaction while Hotch and JJ interviewed each of them in turn. Zack followed them into the other room without any verbal statement of him going first. He wasn't the oldest, but it was clear that he was the one that everyone respected.

Hotch sat at the desk and motioned for Zack to take a seat wherever he felt comfortable. JJ sat on the corner of the couch and Zack took a spot on the nearest bed. They were silent for several moments, but Zack did not fidget, simply waited on Hotch to begin. Finally, h spoke. "So, Zack, are you an EMT or a paramedic?"

"I'm a paramedic. Me, Jamie, and Lisa are the paramedics this shift. Adam is my partner, Trish is Jamie's, and Jason is Lisa's."

"You seem to be a very tight-knit group," Hotch continued.

Zack's gaze fell as the enormity of the situation hit him again. He was a young man, probably under 30,and this had been a terrible situation for all of them. Tears blurred his hazel eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, we're pretty close. Losing Anna has been hard. And then David…"

"Were they good friends of yours? I mean, did you talk to them when you were off duty?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes. I mean, David was the boss so when he called when I was off duty, he usually wanted me to work and stuff…"

"What about the rest of them? Were they close to Anna, too?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. Especially Adam, he's taking it rough. He was Anna's acting partner for the past two weeks."

Hotch raised an eyebrow. "Acting partner? Does she not have a set partner?"

"Yeah," Zack replied, "Abby is usually her partner, but she's taking a couple of weeks off."

"Do you know why?" Hotch asked. "Scheduled vacation or something?"

Zack looked away again. "Uh… well, Abby has been through a lot lately. You see, she had a falling out with her partner and best friend, Connor. He disagreed with the way she handled a call, and was very vocal about it. He even talked to the patient's son and a reporter. There was a lawsuit filed. It just got settled two weeks ago, and it really took a lot out of her. David gave her some time off."

Hotch and JJ exchanged a glance. "And how was it settled?"

"Well, it was finally thrown out of court after over two years. It was all bull crap anyway. Abby would never do what he was saying she did!" He looked up then and his eyes flashed with an expression JJ had seen countless times. Hotch hadn't, though. He was rarely looking in the mirror when the need to protect his team raised into his eyes.

They were interrupted by Hotch's phone ringing. "Go ahead, Garcia."

"Um, sir, you remember how you told me to find all I could on Ison County ambulance service?"

"Yes, I'm interviewing one of their paramedics right now."

"Is it by any chance Abby Williams?"

"No, but we were just discussing her. It seems she is out of town following a very draining lawsuit." Zack's eyes met Hotch's as he straightened.

"Oh… well, sir, you're going to want to see this."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long, I'm in the middle of a marathon shift at work and should get off some time around Wednesday. I hope you enjoy this, and I hope it makes sense, as it is around 2 am right now. Please review... the direction of this story isn't set in stone yet, so any thoughts are welcome. Come on... each little review will make the next 3 days go by quicker:)

"Mr. Miller, could we borrow your laptop for a moment?" Hotch asked levelly.

The young paramedic barely stopped himself from visibly wincing. He was afraid this would come up. "Sir, People say a lot of things, that doesn't make them true!" Hotch didn't respond, simply continued to look at him. Finally, Zack stood up. If they were going to see this, he should be there to explain.

"What is it?" JJ asked when he left the room.

"A website, some kind of gossip page where communities can talk about people. It's called Topix. Apparently, there is quite a bit of activity regarding a paramedic named Abby Williams. Including a rather protective post from someone calling himself Medic_Boy2 stating that people need to, and I quote 'lay off Abby before she starts taking shots from a clock tower'."

At that moment, Zack reappeared with his computer, open to the Google home page. If these guys didn't know for sure about Topix, he sure wasn't about to give it away. Hotch almost smiled at the effort, then typed in the address. To his credit, Zack didn't flinch. Much.

Hotch read through several posts, then looked up. "I think you need to tell me everything you can about Abby Williams."

Zack flushed. "Abby did not do this! She is a wonderful person, a caring person. She did not let that woman die, and she certainly didn't kill Anna or David!"

"We need to talk to her. Do you have her address?" JJ tried to interject a calming presence into what had become a heated conversation.

"Yeah, she's not home though." He didn't move to add anything else.

Hotch understood. Hadn't he felt the same way when Morgan had been accused of murdering that boy back in Chicago? "Look, I know how you feel. You want to protect her. And she's been through a lot. But if you're so sure that she didn't do this, she should have nothing to hide." He still didn't respond. "Listen," Hotch said, leaning in close, "I'm looking at the web page. There's a lot of people in town who don't like her at the moment. Someone obviously thinks that she's capable. Now, how long before they start to think she did more than just mess up on a run? It's going to be a lot better on her if we can say, as the FBI investigating, that we have cleared her as a suspect."

Zack thought that one over for a moment, and JJ spoke to Hotch. "I'll get Garcia on tracking that post, we need to talk to Medic_boy2."

"No need to bother," Zack said, dropping his head to his hands. "I'm the one who wrote it."

Hotch's eyes bore into him. "You wrote that she might start taking shots from a clock tower?"

Zack shrugged, raising his head but looking away from Hotch's probing eyes. "I just wanted them to leave her alone for a while. You don't know how hard this has been for her!"

Hotch forced his voice smooth again. "Why don't you tell us about it?"

Zack sighed, resigned. "Abby doesn't have anyone but us. No family, no one to lean on. When Connor pulled his stunt, it devastated her, she wasn't sure who she could trust. She pulled back from everyone. The only ones she would talk to were me and a few people from our church. It was so hard to watch her go through that and not let anyone help her."

JJ looked at Hotch sharply. They had motive, personality type, and a stressor. This girl fit the profile. "Zack, we really need her address. This will go much easier if you just tell us."

"Like I said," he insisted, "she's not home." There was a beat of silence, and with the stress of the last few days leaking into his voice added, "But I do know where to find her…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rented SUV bounced roughly along what in most parts of the country could not actually be called a road. According to the sheriff, this was the only way to get to the GPS coordinates Hotch had sent them. Muddy water splashed up on the passenger side window and Morgan was glad he had rolled the window up in defense against the thickening swarm of bugs. "Are you sure this is the right road?" Morgan asked Rossi.

"Um, are you even sure this is a road?" Reid spoke up from the back seat as another bump would have sent him flying into the cargo space if he wasn't wearing his seat belt.

Rossi was sure this was right, wasn't sure it was actually a road, but didn't respond as such. "This is the coordinates the medic gave Hotch." He didn't point out the obvious fact that the medic in question could well be leading them on a wild goose chase. "Look, there's the cabin…" He pointed to a wooden structure up ahead.

They pulled in to what could possibly pass for a driveway, and they got out. Rossi was the first one up the steps, with Morgan close behind. Reid paused to survey their surroundings, them joined his colleagues. Rossi knocked on the door.

After a few moments, the door slid open a few inches, held by a chain lock. A young woman with long red hair peeked out. "Who is it?" She asked.

Rossi reached for his badge. "Dave Rossi. I'm with the FBI. These are my colleagues, Agent Morgan and Dr. Reid." He put on his best smile. "We'd like a word with you."

Her face clouded over in an instant, blue eyes turning hard as ice. "FBI?! Good God, you people don't give up, do you? Get out of here! How many times do I have to say it? I didn't kill anyone!" She slammed the door hard, and they heard the deadbolt click.

Somewhat stunned, Rossi turned to face his younger team members. "Well," he said, shaking his head. "That's a new one…"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Sorry this has taken so long. I can't promise regularity with the insanity that my life is at the moment. I'm leaving on a mission trip for Poland in a week, so it will be at least three weeks before I can focus on death and betrayal again. All of you who pray, please pray for me and my team, Me, Chad, Chris, and Doc. And please review!

Rossi knocked on the door again, and was again ignored. It had been the same for the past twenty minutes. He had been unable to establish a dialogue with her, and a few minutes ago, she had pulled aside the curtains, slamming an iPod against the glass, headphones in her ears. Seconds after that was a note that screamed in bold letters **GET A WARRANT! UNTIL THEN GO AWAY!**

"What now?" asked Reid, unsure. This was the first time one of them hadn't been able to talk the door open. This was what they did, and they were good at it. Of course, the iPod had given her an advantage.

"Do we have enough to get a warrant?" Morgan asked.

Rossi shook his head. "On the fact that she fits the profile and says she didn't kill anyone? Nope. And talking's doing us no good."

"Not even the fact that she denied killing anyone before we even accused her of it?" asked Reid.

Morgan shook his head, rereading the Topix posts he had printed out. "We didn't accuse her of it. But everyone else has…"

Rossi snorted in dark amusement. "So we don't even know if she's denying the right murder!" He looked around. "Okay, you two go back and check in with Hotch. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things. Until we get to talk to her, we need someone on Abby Williams at all times."

Morgan shook his head. "You two go back, I'll stay. You're more valuable at the command center than I am." Rossi looked at him. "Okay, I've got a feeling about this. I want to stay." Rossi nodded, glad Derek had told him the truth. He had to know he wouldn't buy the "more valuable at command center" crap. He was just glad it wasn't because Morgan didn't think he could keep up with a scared unsub in the woods.

"Okay. I don't like it that you're out of cell range. Take this radio, it's got a 2 mile range. Every hour, one of us will get within range and check up. You don't answer, we come in full force and take this place."

Morgan gave him a look. "You think she's going to, what… take me out the second you're gone? If she was, she'd have killed us all by now. I've got a feeling we're on the wrong track here."

Rossi couldn't argue with that logic, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Okay… Just watch your back. I'll send some sheriff's deputies out here as soon as I get back."

Morgan wanted to argue, but he had nothing more than his gut to back him up. "Okay. But the deputies stay in a vehicle out of sight. The last thing we need is to make her feel trapped."

Rossi and Reid had been gone less than five minutes when a silver Dodge Ram truck came flying up the trail and skidded to a stop in front of the porch. A blond-haired man got out of the truck and was up on the porch in less than three steps. Morgan stepped up to introduce himself, and the man cut him off. "FBI?" Morgan nodded, and started to speak again when the man again cut him off. "Stay put. I'm going in to talk to Abby. You don't move unless you get that warrant." He waved back to the truck, and a petit woman with dark hair got out and joined her husband. Morgan estimated them both to be in their mid-thirties.

Just as Morgan was about to tell him that Abby couldn't hear them knock, the man pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Both of them went inside, leaving Morgan alone. He sat back into the porch swing. This was getting weird.

It was probably fifteen minutes later when the door opened again. The man stepped out and extended his hand to Morgan. "Mike Sadler. Abby is willing to talk to you. Come on in."

"Are you her lawyer?" Morgan asked.

"No, I'm the closest thing she has to a father. This is my cabin. When Abby needed to get away for a while, we told her to go here. And then the FBI shows up… How'd you find her out here?"

"My boss got it from one of the boys at the ambulance service."

Mike winced. "Zack…I'm gonna choke him!"

Morgan shook his head. "He thought he was helping her. He didn't realize she was a real suspect."

Mike nodded, looking away. "And she is a real suspect?"

"Definitely. She fits the profile perfectly. And she had good reason to snap from what I hear."

Mike's face clouded with anger. "Abby did not do this! She's a good kid, like a daughter to my wife and I. She's not capable of that kind of… she a good person and an excellent paramedic. She did not kill that woman!"

Morgan looked at him confused. "What woman?"

Mike looked confused. "You're not here about the allegations on Topix and in the paper? Well, of course not… that's a little beyind the scope of the FBI, no matter how much talking that snake did… Why are you here?"

"Who are you referring to as 'that snake', Mr. Sadler?"

"Connor Matthews, Abby's former best friend. If you're not here about the allegations, why are you here?"

"You don't watch the news, Mr. Sadler? Or… talk to people?"

"I've been on vacation from work, and we don't really watch TV. We've been at home on the farm except to drive Abby out here for over a week. What's going on?"

"Mr. Sadler, we're not here about neglect charges, we're here about the murder of Abby's partner and boss."

Zack Miller paced his apartment anxiously. He couldn't believe he had fallen for the FBI guys' talk about clearing Abby's name. He should never have told them where to find her. Some friend he was… But… Abby had been out of touch for over a week, and At Mike and Linda's house before that. Was it possible that she didn't know about Anna and David? Oh, man… surely Mike would have told her. But what if he didn't know? Either way, He was Abby's friend and she needed all the support she could get right now. Plus, he needed to apologize for leading the FBI to her.

He pulled on his black duty jacket and picked up his keys. It was a long drive out to the cabin, but he needed to talk to her. He just hoped she would forgive him…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Again, sorry this has taken so long, but it is slightly longer than the others, so hopefully that will make up for it. Please review. I'm open to suggestions, and reviews make me happy... again, a happy paramedic is a good paramedic, so...

Whatever else might be going on in Abby Williams' mind, she was definitely traumatized by the situation. Morgan was trying to ask questions in a general enough manner to avoid coming right out and telling her about the new murders too early in the interview. Her face read anger as she talked about her former best friend accusing her of not trying to save the woman, but her voice simply said exhausted. She had been asked too many questions by too many people, had too many accusations thrown at her. After ten minutes, Morgan was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had done everything in her power to save the woman she was being accused of killing. Unfortunately, that wasn't what he was there to determine. She had been there alone in the cabin for the last week, with only Mike and Linda occasionally checking on her. Not the best alibi, but she had no vehicle, and it was a long hike out of the woods.

Finally, he had said all he could without telling her everything. He dreaded this. The girl was emotionally fragile, already pushed past what most people have to deal with at once. She sat on the pale green sofa with her knees pulled to her chest, tears on her voice but not on her face: there had been too much of that already over the accusations. And what Morgan was about to tell her would go even deeper. He dreaded having to say it.

He glanced up at Mike, making eye contact, searching for any sign that the girl couldn't handle this. The older man nodded slightly, and sat on the arm of the sofa beside Abby, putting his hand on her shoulder. Linda scooted closer to her and put her arm around her. Morgan cleared his throat. "Abby, you know that I'm not here about the accusations on Topix, right?"

She thought about it for a second. "The FBI did seem a little extreme for a malpractice case. So why are you here?"

"Do you hunt?" He asked.

Abby shrugged. "Sometimes. Why?"

"What kind of gun do you use?"

"12-gauge, led slugs. Again, why?"

"Have you ever fired a rifle? .30-.06?"

She shook her head. "No, not that I remember. Maybe when I was little, before my dad died."

She genuinely considered that answer, so Morgan realized that she probably had no idea what that type of gun looked like. No one "really little" fired one of those. He turned to Mike. "Do you have any guns here?"

"Of course I do… Do you realize how far out in the woods we are? Would you expect me to not have the means to protect my family?"

"No, sir, I was just asking. Is one of them a .30-.06 by any chance?"

Abby looked over at Mike suddenly. "What's going on here?"

He ignored her with a wince and focused on Morgan. "No. I have a .22 rifle, a .38 pistol, and I think Abby has her shotgun here waiting for hunting season, right Abby?"

"Yeah. What is going on here? Will someone tell me?"

Linda pulled the girl into a hug, and turned to face Morgan. "Tell her."

Morgan adjusted his position, no longer the interrogator, now simply the one delivering bad news to a family or friend. "Abby, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Anna McDowell and David Bowers were killed. We're here investigating their murders."

Abby sat up quickly, dropping her feet to the floor and pulling away from Linda's embrace and Mike's hand. "And you think I did it?! Since I wasn't able to save a dying old woman, you think I'm capable of murdering my partner and my boss?!"

Morgan didn't flinch from either her statement or her glare, but met her eyes firmly. "No. I don't. And I don't think you let that woman die either. But I'm a profiler, and you fit the profile and I had to talk to you. You need to know that you are considered a suspect, though."

"Doesn't your profile tell you anything useful?" She demanded. "Like that if I was capable of what they say I am, the only person I'd murder is Connor Matthews? If that creep is still breathing, you can be sure that I haven't killed anyone!"

"Abby!" Exclaimed Mike. "I thought it went without saying that you don't confess homicidal thoughts to the FBI!"

Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The tears she had refused to let fall slipped loose and trailed down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Mike rather than Morgan. "It's not true, right? He's making it up? It's some profiler trick to get me to confess to something, right? Anna and David can't be-" The sorrow she saw on her friend's face stopped her in mid-sentence and she started crying.

Almost instantly, Linda pulled her into a tight embrace, and Mike dropped to his knees on the floor in front of them. He put a hand on his wife's knee and the other on Abby's head and started praying. Morgan turned away, and the man was talking very low, so he understood very little. "Be with their loved ones" and "protect our family" and "we trust in You". Sounded like a standard prayer, Abby looked up at Mike and started speaking. By the second word, he and his wife were reciting it with her:

O LORD, how many are my foes!  
How many rise up against me!

**2** Many are saying of me,  
"God will not deliver him."  
Selah

**3** But you are a shield around me, O LORD;  
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

**4** To the LORD I cry aloud,  
and he answers me from his holy hill.  
Selah

**5** I lie down and sleep;  
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

**6** I will not fear the tens of thousands  
drawn up against me on every side.

**7** Arise, O LORD!  
Deliver me, O my God!  
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;  
break the teeth of the wicked.

**8** From the LORD comes deliverance.  
May your blessing be on your people.  
Selah

Morgan had tried not to eavesdrop on the family prayer, but this caught his attention. When they had finished, Abby met his gaze. "It's the third psalm," she explained, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "It's became my favorite since the whole mess started, since it seems everyone is against me. Not many people have been on my side." Her voice cracked again, but she held her ground. "David has… had… been great. And Anna. And Mike and Linda of course, they've stood by my side from the beginning. And Zack. And our pastor. And that's about it. I've been fighting on all sides." She shivered, and Mike stood to put a steadying hand on the quaking shoulders.

The radio on Morgan's belt let out a burst of static, then Hotch's voice came across. "Morgan? Are you still on the porch?"

He unclipped the radio. "Just a second," he told them. "Gotta check in with the team." He pushed the transmit button, and addressed Hotch. "No, I'm inside. Abby and her family decided to talk to me." Abby smiled at the 'family' comment, and leaned against Linda's shoulder.

Hotch's static-filled voice came through with no confusing the seriousness in he tone. "Then maybe you need to step outside a moment."

"If you guys will excuse me…" He stood and headed back for the porch.

When he came back in a few minutes later, his relaxed demeanor was gone, leaving him every bit as tense as Hotch's voice suggested he was. "I have good news and bad news," He stated flatly. "The good news is that Abby is no longer a suspect."

Linda smiled broadly. "That's wonderful!" Abby and Mike, however, exchanged worried frowns. "Isn't it?"

Abby shook her head. "If they've determined I'm not a suspect in the last few minutes, something bad happened."

Morgan intentionally didn't address that. "What can you tell me about Zack Miller?"

Her spine straightened instantly, eyes flashing with indignant fire. "Zack did NOT do this! He is the kindest, most gentle, and possibly most naïve person in the world! He would never hurt anyone, ever! I'm done talking to you if he's a suspect!"

Mike caught the truth from Morgan's eyes a split-second before he spoke and slouched back down to the floor. "Abby," Morgan continued slowly. "Zack isn't a suspect. I'm sorry. He was killed ten minutes ago."


End file.
